Removing the Barriers for Students with Disabilities: Accessible Online and Web‐Enhanced Courses

The concern of this article is the difficulties faced by disabled students as technology grows and expands in academia. Although distance learning, web‐based courses, and hybrid courses, among other venues, have improved the chances for many people suffering disabilities for obtaining degrees and thereby increasing their life chances, we have met new challenges as well. This work will consider the growth of these technologies and some of the difficulties they present to particular groups of students. Also, the article will explore methods of overcoming many of these problems. Finally, a general method of working with these students and their special needs is drawn from existing literature.

[1]  L. Vygotsky Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes: Harvard University Press , 1978 .

[2]  Lawrence A. Scadden,et al.  The Design of Accessible Distance Education Environments That Use Collaborative Learning , 2002 .

[3]  Lawana Wimberly,et al.  Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities: Barriers to Accessing Education-Based Information Technology , 2004 .

[4]  Randall Boone,et al.  Reaching Accessibility , 2005 .

[5]  J. Rothman Social Work Practice Across Disability , 2002 .

[6]  Martha M. Giddings,et al.  The Thorny Dilemma of Gatekeeping versus Inclusion for Students with Disabilities , 2004 .

[7]  Thomas J. Tobin Issues in Preparing Visually Disabled Instructors to Teach Online: A Case Study , 2002 .

[8]  Sheryl Burgstahler Universal Design of Distance Learning , 2002 .

[9]  Kevin Curran,et al.  Catering for the Disabled Surfer - A case study in Web Site Navigation for Disabled Students , 2004 .

[10]  Patricia Hendricks,et al.  From Policy to Practice: Achieving Equitable Access to Educational Technology , 2003 .

[11]  Curtis D. Edmonds,et al.  Providing Access to Students With Disabilities in Online Distance Education: Legal and Technical Concerns for Higher Education , 2004 .

[12]  Shelley Kinash,et al.  A Review of 2000-2003 Literature at the Intersection of Online Learning and Disability , 2004 .

[13]  Axel Schmetzke ONLINE DISTANCE EDUCATION - "ANYTIME, ANYWHERE" BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE , 2006 .

[14]  G. Lance Distance Learning and Disability: A View from the Instructor's Side of the Virtual Lectern , 2002 .

[15]  Jim Tobias,et al.  Universal Design: Is It Really about Design? , 2003 .

[16]  Judy Stoneham The Accessibility of the Community College Classroom to Students with Disabilities , 2005 .

[17]  Kurt L. Johnson,et al.  Web Accessibility in Post-Secondary Education: Legal and Policy Considerations , 2003 .

[18]  Sheryl Burgstahler,et al.  Steps toward Making Distance Learning Accessible to Students and Instructors with Disabilities , 2005 .

[19]  J. Bruner The Culture of Education , 1996 .

[20]  Gregg C. Vanderheiden,et al.  Web content accessibility guidelines 1.0 , 2001, INTR.